Chapter XI

Third platoon was a bustle of activity as troopers prepared their aging Salamanders and Chimeras to take on the small group of errant marines. The wounded were quickly sent to the Field Apothecae while others went to gather more ammo and whatever additional protection they could find. Perspicax and Helice climbed up into a Salamander and waited as the vehicle’s engines roared to life, releasing a thick cloud of black smoke. Within moments, their vehicle was moving back along the road through the encampment and deep into the Quarantine Zone.

‘What are Space Marines doing here?’ The crew of the Salamander queried the two snipers.

‘They are after whatever crashed in the city.’

‘Why not let them take care of it so we can get off this Emperor forsaken posting and back to a normal life.’

‘They are traitors. Whatever it is that crashed, they want it, and no good will come to the Imperium if they get it.’

The crew returned to their duties of driving the vehicle but the two occupants distinctly noticed an increase of speed. Helice’s face held a big grin as he stood up to feel the wind on his face again. They were on their way to head off the small marine force and destroy them.

+ + +

Leviticus was glad to be free from the undergrowth. He hated the subterfuge of infiltrating territory controlled by the Imperium just for an individual’s personal desire. Now that they were on the plains and visible to all, they fanned out and were on the run toward the village that stood a few klicks ahead of them. They should be there just before midnight. The sooner this mission was over the better. The foulness that has bothered Leviticus since coming aboard the station has grown intolerable and he thinks he knows where the source resides.

Leliel was running with renewed vigor. The call of blood in his system was deafening. He had forgotten the thrill of defeating his foes and looking down at their shattered remains, the look of shock on their faces as they realized that they have been defeated. Now, he is running toward the village spurned on by the lust of more blood letting. He had sensed that the humans they had faced earlier were on their flank and trying to race ahead of the marines. The prospect of another battle drove him on harder and he was slowly beginning to pull away from the rest of the marines behind him.

+ + +

Lieutenant Salebra kept gazing at the auspex display in front of him. ‘God-Emperor they are moving fast!’ The Lieutenant watched the blips on the fringe of his screen moving in a tactical formation at near impossible rate. He had heard of the abilities of the enhanced marines but here he was facing them and he was held in awe. ‘Get this fragging column moving faster’ he ordered the crew of his command Chimera and his vox operator.

‘Any faster and we will not be able to react, Sir,’ replied the driver.

‘React to what? There’s nothing on the roads but us and them. We need to get ahead of those marines.’

‘Yes, sir.’ Within a minute the driver opened the throttle further on his vehicle and the convoy began to put more distance between themselves and the marines.

Perspicax heard the engine gun a little louder before feeling an increase in the wind. Helice noticed it too and started to look around. ‘We are going faster.’

‘Let me see your spotting scope, Helice’ Taking the offered scope, Perspicax looked off to the left. ‘Well, I’ll be a son of a grox! Those marines are running and running fast!’

‘So? They are marines, they can do anything.’

‘Even marines must get tired at some point.’

‘Not if half the stories we’ve heard are true. Don’t you remember the story of the marines that held off the invasion of their home world for almost a year?’

‘Yeah, that is the one about the Crimson Fists fighting constantly without sleep for several weeks. I heard that one, but I never believed it.’

‘Time you started to believe, Pers.’

Perspicax looked down for a moment before grabbing his sniper rifle and began to clean it again.

+ + +

The village was as dark as the night sky as the marines approached. They had run up to the edge of the town before slowing down. The marines had noticed the cloud of dust rising from the column of vehicles heading in the same direction. They had revved their engines as they went along, several marines immediate checked their marines were locked and loaded with a fresh magazine. Leviticus had forgotten the distinction between the different vehicles, but the marines that had been under Leliel for a while had remembered and told him that they were Guard vehicles and that they had sped up as they were along side the force of marines. Getting into the village now required a toll of blood.

Leliel looked through the dark to see the village in front of him. There was no moon on Lucaris III, but there was enough starlight that Leliel could still see the hastily erected defenses before him. He looked down at the mess that used to be his right hand. His suit had injected painkillers into him and he barely could feel that his hand was ruined. That didn’t matter to him though. He can get Xaphan to make him a new, better one. Now, he wanted to extract a large measure of blood for his inconvenience from those that stood before him now.

‘Leviticus, take your squad and the Devastators and put suppressing fire on them. I will take Jehuel’s squad and hit them in the left flank.’

‘Understood.’ Frag! He is keeping me as far away as possible. Leviticus relayed the orders as Leliel slowly moved out with Jehuel’s squad. He needed to get those PDF out of their defensive positions before Leliel got there. ‘Devastators commence firing! Squad, support the Devastators. Prepare to advance on my command.’

The night lit up in a firestorm of hot bolts and missiles aimed at the PDF troops. Their quick defenses provided some defense from the bolt rounds; but Leviticus saw that the Frag missiles were well-aimed and scored hits behind the defenses. Shards of shrapnel radiated out in all directions catching many PDF troopers in the back, as they did not finish their defenses before the marines arrived.

Two salamanders parked behind the entrenchments quickly began to return fire with their autocannons forcing the marines to shift position to get out of their firing arc. Once they were clear, the Devastators returned the favor by firing a pair of krak missiles into the closest salamander. The night was brightened as the salamander was ripped apart by the two missiles sending  out flames and debris.

+ + +

Perspicax sat on top of one of the village huts while Helice sat on another across the main thoroughfare containing the burning tank. Both men were attempting to draw beads on the approaching marines but only Helice was able to see the ones who had started firing. He let out a short victory yell as he shot down the tube of one of the missile launchers to detonate the missile inside. Perspicax smiled and then began to scan of to their right.

Below the sniper was Lieutenant Salebra trying to shout over the gunfire the battle erupting on his left. The snipers had told him that the marines had split up with the commander leading an element off to the right. Salebra shifted some of his best men to the right flank to repel the marines, Emperor willing. Crews worked feverishly to get one of the autocannons from the Salamanders on to a tripod and ready before the marines assaulted their position. Men also quickly filled more sandbags to provide them more protection. They were all exhausted, but fear and adrenaline spurred them on to continue working at a stunning rate. Salebra just hoped they still had the strength to fight for what will surely be a very tense next few minutes.

Helice was back to saying every cuss word he knew or that he could make up. The thatched roof made him itch and it did not help his aim at all. That and it felt like it would give at any moment. He must have scratched the paint on the second missile launcher-toting marine three times from all the near misses he was getting. He had settled his eye behind the scope when he noticed the marine had changed position. The flare in the scope was blinding but Helice did not care. He tried to scramble off the roof but only got a little way before the missile punched into the wall below him.

The roof erupted all around Helice; tossing him like a rag doll into the air. He could feel the shards of hot metal pierce him in several places. He flailed his arms and legs around trying to feel something other than air before he felt himself crash into something. He fell unconscious shortly thereafter.

Perspicax looked over to see the roof of the building Helice was on collapse through all the smoke. Where his friend was he could not see. Girding back the anguish of losing his closest friend, he turned back to his search of the plains for any sign of the other squad. They had ducked behind a fold in the landscape and now he had to find them.

+ + +

Leliel had worked his way around the town to face the village at an angle to the rest of the Dark Angels. He sat there savoring the sounds of battle. He could feel his two hearts pump faster in the anticipation that he will soon be letting blood flow again. He just needed a signal from the Devastator Sergeant to begin his advance.

+ + +

Devastator Sergeant Pammon scanned the area in front of him. The two heavy bolters had taken to firing in short bursts, but had very few targets visible. The surviving missile launcher continued to create havoc within the PDF lines. Sensing the time was right; Pammon dropped the magazine of his bolter and withdrew another one from a pouch at his belt. He instantly saw the orange paint covering the tips of each bolter round in the magazine. Quickly loading and chambering a round, he aimed toward the sky and fired three shots.

+ + +

Leliel watched the three little plumes of fire rain down from the sky. ‘The signal is given. Charge!’

+ + +

Leviticus looked up to see the three plumes of fire. Inferno rounds, fired into the sky make a nice... ‘Frag it all! Squad on me and advance! One shot one kill all who resist!’ The ten marines moved into a line and started marching toward the entrenchment. ‘Vehuiah, I am going to take my team down the main thoroughfare. Your team is to continue on this vector. These men are not the enemy. Let them run if they flee or die quickly if they stand against you. I will not allow Leliel to take pleasure in butchering innocents.’

Vehuiah nodded and watched as Leviticus motioned his team to split off into another direction. The line of black armor parted in the middle and the two combat teams began pounding the line in different areas.

Sergeant Pammon watched as the Tactical squad quickened the pace toward the village. With friendlies in the field of fire, the Devastators stood down to watch and wait. ‘Come on. Let’s get to another firing position where we can be useful.’

+ + +

Perspicax saw his quarry break cover into a run. He quickly lined a shot up and pulled trigger. He saw the spark of a ricochet in his scope. ‘Spit!’ He risked a look over the side below him. Below sat the autocannon on its tripod, but its crew were killed by a frag missile. Dropping off the roof onto the ground below, Perspicax settled in behind the autocannon. It had been a long time since he had gotten behind it, but his training quickly took over and soon he was sighting down the barrel at the onrushing marines. He held his breath and squeezed the trigger.

+ + +

Jehuel was running hard in a vain attempt to keep ahead of Leliel. He quickly scanned the PDF’s lines just in time to see the autocannon open up. With enhanced eyes, he saw the vapor trails of the rounds lance out at him and his squad. With moments, a marine pitched forward into the dirt. ‘I thought Pammon neutralized all the heavy weapons!’ The autocannon spoke again and another marine pitched forward. Leliel ignored the sergeant and continued to run toward the defenses. Jehuel could see the line of armor beginning to fall apart around him. ‘This assault is doomed. Squad to me! Covering Fire!’

Marines came out of their run and formed around their Sergeant. Bolters flared to life as Jehuel tried to salvage the assault and return some semblance of tactical superiority. Leliel and his personal squad of three marines continued to try to assault the lines.

+ + +

Perspicax saw the line falter and splinter into two groups. The larger group had stopped and was starting to lay down support fire. The smaller group continued to charge through the open fields and towards their defenses. Perspicax shifted his aim toward the smaller group and fired another short burst. Two marines fell down but one managed to get back onto his feet. To his right Lieutenant Salebra had the remaining defenders open fire with their autoguns and lasguns. The two charging behemoths continued through the storm of rounds as though it was a harmless rain shower. Shaking himself out of his stupor, he lined up on the two assaulting marines and depressed the trigger.

Click

‘Great! Nice time to get a jam!’ Working feverishly on the weapon Perspicax ran through the steps of remediation.

Salebra looked over to his saving grace, the sniper was working feverishly on the weapon. The Lieutenant sighed at his change in fortune.  ‘Well, I guess it’s better than dying of old age. Third, now is the time to make history! In the name of the Emperor, CHARGE!’ The Lieutenant withdrew his power sword and ignited the blade. With a yell, he ran to meet the two marines. However, only a few of his men sallied forth with him.

+ + +

Leliel watched as the Lieutenant crested the hill in a vain attempt to counter charge leading a pathetic group of scared soldiers. Turning toward the group of humans, he raised his chain-axe in anticipation. A smile crossed his lips as he closed the distance. The officer raced onward firing his sidearm his way, but the impacts did little to hurt let alone stop his advance. The officer quickly darted to his right where he lashed out at the marines unarmed side. Leliel felt the blade bite into his flesh, but it was necessary.  With a quick snap, the Lord threw out his ruined stump at the officer. The crack of breaking bones was unmistakable as the face and body of the Lieutenant flew back to land in a heap on the ground.

The rest of the humans faltered, but it was too late. Leliel and his retinue were upon them where he managed to smite several of the terrified guardsmen with his chain axe. The PDF line was beginning to collapse into a panicked rout.